CLEVELAND -- Foreign scammers are targeting people in the market for a home, apartment or cottage rental.

The scammers copy and paste photos and facts about a house for rent from Web sites such as Craig's List, and then post it as their own. They reel people in by putting the price hundreds of dollars less than the actual listing.

This is happening to home owners and landlords around the country, according to the FBI.

Since the house or apartment really exists, the scammers tell potential victims to drive by the property and take a look. When the potential buyer wants to see the inside of the property, the scam artist indicates he is out of town but there are plenty of interested buyers so a deposit is necessary in order to hold the property. They ask the person interested to wire money with no intention of ever returning it.

If you are house or apartment hunting, always make sure the landlord is local. Never mail or wire a cash deposit to anyone because the chances of you getting that money back are slim.